Furnace for the production of cast iron and steel.



P. RESINELLI. FURNACE FOR THE PRODUCTION or CAST IRON AND STEEL.

' APPLIOATION FILED JULY 2, 1909.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

7 P. RESINELLI. FURNACE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GASTYIRON AND STEEL. v APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1909. I 1 975,99 Patented Nov. 15,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. RESINELLI. FURNACE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CAST IRON AND STEEL.

975,998 APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1909. Patented NOV- 15,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

, gmvcmbo'c fianceaaofazzwga G How 121 J9 r M W Qmmmw UNITED STATES FRANCESCO RESINELL'I, OF VADO LIGURE, ITALY.

'runnAcn-roa 'rna raonuc'rron orcnsr raon AND STEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15,1910.

Application filed m 'a' 1909. Serial No. 505,746.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCESCO RESINELLI, a subject of the King. of Italy, residing at Vado Ligure, Province of Genoa, in the Kingdom of Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces. for

the-Production of Cast Iron and Steel; and

I do hereby declare the following to bee.

,full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledv in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in furnaces for the production of iron and steel and has for its object to provide an apparatus of this nature which will be more efiicient than those heretofore produced, and

'one which will materially lessen the cost of extending between the interior of the furnace and the up er and lower parts of this chamber, respectively, so that hot gases ass from the furnace into the lower part 0 part of the chamber to the furnace. Chlorid of sodium has been placed in the said chamber andv heated therein so that the fumes therefrom mingle with the hot gases and pass into the furnace, andpthe twyers also traverse this chamber so that the air passing through the twyers is highly heated. It has also been suggested to provide a reservoir or fore hearth in combination with this furnace and to cause the heated gases to flow through this reservoir the pipes conveying air to the twyersmay also be'arranged in a chamber heatedb the metal or gases in the said reservoir. t has moreover-been proposed to heat the air for combustion by conducting it downwardlythrou h a regenerator arran ed in the furnace s aft or chim' walls of.- the furnace leading to the t Yyers,

ney, and t rough vertical passages tithe the* '-regenerator, being heated by the omsure of the thechamber and are returned from the upper.

bustion of furnace gases withdrawn at a point below the furnace mouth and ignited, at the level'of the furnace mouth, in the space into which the chargin doors open.

The present invention di ers from the above 1n that it comprises, in combination, a principal furnace, a shaft or chimney, a

regenerator, a fore-hearth'and an auxiliary preheating furnace for heating reagents as hereinafter described. Gases for heatin the furnace last mentioned are withdrawn rom the fusion zone of the principal furnace and returned to the chimney whereby the presgases in .the fusion zone is decreased.

fThe said invention also comprises a convenient construction of regenerator adapted for present purposes, and provision is'made for supplying combustible gases for heating the air passing through the regenerator in an im roved manner so that flaming at the charging mouth, when the feed doors are open, is diminished or prevented.

'Referring to the accompany drawing Figure ldshows a vertical central section of the improved furnace. Fi s. 2, 3, 4 and 5 'show horizontal sections ta en on the lines e' -l, g-h, a.+-b, and M, respectively, -Flg.'"1. Fig. 6 is a front view and Fig. 7 is a pla'nof the improved furnace. Fig. 8 is aventical section taken on the line c -d,

Fig.4. Fig. 9 is a detail view, drawn to a larger scale, illustrating the method of fitting together the regenerator cylinders hereinafter referred to. Fi 10 is a detached sectional. view of bands s own in Fig. 9.

Theimproved furnace comprises four distinct "parts. hereinafter described viz :a

grincipalyfurnace A, a chimney B com ine'd with a regenerator, a reservoir or fore-hearth C 'receivin the fused metals which aretherein treate with the usual reagents tocarbonize or decarbonize the iron accordin to the desired'qualities of the metal .to e produced, and a furnace D for the preliminary heating of the said reagents, v

The part A comprises a cast iron base supported by pillarsl. On this base is set a tower built up exteriorly of ordinary brick masonry and lined with refractory material. .This tower is bound with .iron bands or hoops to protect it against exterior influences.

Between the wall of ordinary masonry and the wall of refractory material at lower part, is an annular chamber 2, with metal walls, the said chamber, for convenience of construction, being divided into several parts, and this chamber communicates with the interior of the tower'through twyers. Commencing from this chamber and extending between the two walls are iron tubes 3 which moreover provide means of communication between the said chamber and a second annular chamber provided in the upper part of the tower, below the feed opening 4, and thus serve as a brace work for the tower itself. This upper chamber is divided into two separate concentric chambers 5, 6. The outer chambers 5 communicate through the tubes 3 with the chambers 2. The interior chambers 6 communicate through the conduits 7 with the interior of the furnace through apertures 8. These chambers 5, 6 respectively communicate with channels 9, 10 formed in two tubular pillars arranged on opposite sides of the eed opening. The outer wall of the channel 9 1s formed of masonry covered with sheet metal, and the walls of the channel 10 as well as those .of the channel 9 are of metal (cast iron or the like). The channels 9, serve as conduits for the gas escaping from the furnace A through the apertures 8 and the channels 10 serve as conduitsfor the air supplied to the twyers. Between the said pillars, in which these channels are formed, feed doors or charging mouths 15 are provided. The said tubular pillars are connected at their upper ends by concentric chambers 16 and 17 on which regenerator cylinders 12 and a stack or chimney 13 are supported. The space surrounded by the sa1d chambers 16 and 17 constitutes the entrance to the chimney. The chamber 17 communicates by means of the channels 10 with a the apertures 8, and the chamber 16 communicates through the channels 9, chambers 5, tubes 3, and chamber 2 with the twyers.-

The chamber 17 is furnished with openings 18 through which the inflammable gases drawn out from the furnace A through the a ertures 8 are delivered into the chlmney a ove the feed doors 15 where the said gases ignite on mixing with the atmospheric air drawn in through-the said doors. The openings 18 may be furnished with dampers (not shown), to regulate the exit of the gases.

,This arrangement serves two purposes Firstly: The gases which are still combusti-. ble' are not extinguished since they are not cooled by the cold materials introduced throu h the 'feed 0 ening; it thus results that t e com lete cal drific value of the gases is utilized. econdly: Since the gases burn in the interior of the chimney, the workers, engaged in feeding the furnace are protected from flames burning at the furnace mouth and this, in addition to being hygienic and humane, has the advantage that the controlling and. the feeding of the furnace can be carried out with greater diligence and can be controlled in a better manner than heretofore with consequent advantage bothto the workers and to the manufacturer.

The chamber 16 communicates with the,

.combustion supplied to the twyers enters through this opening, and passes through chambers 22 inclosed exteriorly by a masonry wall protected by sheet iron and, interiorly, b the walls of the said cylinders 12 themse ves. These chambers 22 are divided one from the other by horizontal plates whereby the air, in order to pass from one chamber to another, is obliged to travel through tubes 23 against which the burning gases impinge in passing through the cylinders 12. As the tubes 23 are of a horse-shoe shape they are quite free to expand in every direction and thus can be sub ected to very high temperatures without danger of becoming deformed or broken.

Each of the regenerator cylinders above mentioned corresponds to an element of the regenerator which may comprise several such elements. The said cylinders are provided at their upper and lower ends with projecting rims or lips 32 fitted in two U-shaped iron bands 33 secured together by bolts 34: to form a ring which unites the lower rim of one part to the upper rim of the other part. All the component parts are in the rough (just as they are cast), and, in order to prevent leakage at the joints the U-shaped iron bands are packed with refractoiX material 35.

' butterfl valve 24 is employed to regulate the dra t through'the chimney.

The fore-hearth or reservoir C 1s a cylin der lined internally with refractory material and put into communication with the pre-' heating furnace D, through. a conduit 26.

The fused metal is drawn off through a tappin spout 27 and the slag is discharged throug the opening 28. ,A channel 25 serves to discharge the liquid metal from the furnace A into the reservoir 0, and also provides a conduit for the ases that go from A through C, to the auxi iary furnace D for the purpose of pre-heating the reagents therein. The reagents thus heated become fluid or soft and in this condition fall into r the reservoir C where they combine with the molten metal from the furnace A. Since this channel 25 is tangential to the periphery of the reservoir C (see Fig. 4) and on account of the speed of the gases 'the liquid metal is subjected to a rotary movement which facilitates purification and mixing. This arrangement also serves better to eliminate the slag. The roof of the reservoir can be raised in order tofacilitate the repair of the damage arising duringor occasioned by the operation of the furnace. j

The furnace D is a cylinder of refractory material reinforced with iron, and rises parallel to the axis of the principal =furnace, as far as the charging level. Here it is closed by 'a cover 29 which can be opened for the introduction ofthe materials to be heated. A pipe 30 commencing below this cover serves for the discharge or escape of the gases coming from the furnace D, and conducts these gases to the regenerator and the chimney B. By this arrangement, since the thoroughfare through the furnace A is partly choked bythe materials therein, a part of the gases from this furnace pass through the reservoir C and escape through the furnace D, so that the pressure of air in the zone of fusion is minimized. It is known that while it is necessary to have a strong pressure and consequently a high speed of the air in the combustion zone, such a condition in the fusion 'zone is, on the contrary, a cause of harm. Ordinarily ,in blast and cupola furnacesa difference of pressure is obtained by giving a relatively small diameter to the furnace in the combustion zone while the furnace is enlarged in the zone of fusion. The result of this arrangement is however transitory sinceafter a short time in the operation of the furnace the ratio between the cross-section of the furnace at 'these zones, on account of the partial fusion of the refractory material, becomes somewhat modified since the crosssection in the combustion zone is enlarged while thatin the fusion zone remains unchanged. On the contrary it is evident that by the resent improved arrangement the combustion zone will receive the air with all the pressure necessary and one part will pass through the fusion zone with a diminished pressure while the other part will pass into the furnace D and escape throu h the conduit 30 where a valve is provided y the adjustment of which the difference of air pressure in the two zones can be regulated. A gate is provided for cleaning the said furnace D andto permit the materials in the reservoir C to be stirred by means of suit able paddles.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare whatI claim is 1. A furnace for the production of iron and steel comprising a principal furnace, a shaft or chimney above said principal fur-' nace, and a regenerator in said chimney in combination with a fore-hearth; a furnace adapted to pre-heat reagents; and a connection between said pre-heating furnace and said principal furnace adapted to conduct hot gases from' the latter to the former, substantially as described. I

2. A furnace for the production of iron and steel comprising a principal furnace, a shaft or chimney above said principal furnace, and a'regenerator in said chimney comprising a cylinder having curvedv tubes 23 therein through which air to be heated is adapted to pass, in combination with a forehearth; a furnace adapted to pre-heat reagents; and a connection between said preheating furnace and said principal furnace adapted to conduct hot gases from the latter to the former, substantially as described.

3. A furnace for the production of iron deliver 'said gases to said chimney above the feed doors of said furnace, in combination with a fore-hearth, a furnace adapted to pre-heat reagents; and a connection between said pre-heating furnace and said principal furnace adapted to conduct hot gases from the'latter to the former, substantially as de-' scribed.

4. A furnace for the production of iron and steel comprising a principal furnace, a shaft or chimney above said principal furnace, and a regenerator in said chimney, in combination with a fore-hearth, a furnace ada ted to pre-heat reagents; means for con ucting a portion of the hot gases from the fusion zone of the principal furnace to the pre-heating furnace; and means for discharging said hot gases from the preheating furnace into the chimney, whereby the pressure in the fusion zone is reduced and the heat of the evolved gases is utilized, substantially. as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

- FRANCESCO RESINELLI.

Witnesses: 7

CAP: GOFFREDO R1001, MICHAEL Smnoonrnn, Jr. 

